UPGRADES
DE Jerry Hughes, BUF (4 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 1 FF)
The Bills defense exploded for 6 sacks against the Lions on Sunday, which was a career high for Matthew Stafford. Hughes got off to a rough start this year, but he rebounded in a big way with 5 tackles, a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble. Although undersized, he was able to generate pressure with a combination of power and speed. This is a contract year for Hughes so he has added incentive to put up good numbers and earn himself a big contract in 2015.
DE Willie Young, CHI (2 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Young is looking like one of the biggest surprises of the first 5 games this year. Despite never topping 3 sacks in any previous season, he has posted a sack in 4 of 5 games and is up to 5 on the year. Although he plays almost as many snaps as a starter would on some teams, he is still technically a backup in Chicago. Also, he stands out even more because he has been extremely effective while big-ticket free agent signings Jared Allen and LaMarr Houston have 0 sacks combined to this point.
DE Armonty Bryant, CLE (3 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack)
Bryant seemed poised for a breakout in 2014, but quickly saw his snaps reduced in weeks 2 and 3. He was back up to 47 snaps this week and made the most of them with 6 combined tackles and a sack. The Browns lost Phil Taylor to injury early in the game, and that seems to have created more opportunities for Bryant to play more. Perhaps he’ll be able to carry this momentum into next week’s matchup with the Steelers.
DT Stephen Paea, CHI (1 solo, 3 asst, 1 sack)
This may not be sustainable for the Bears Nose Tackle, but he posted a sack on Sunday to give him 3 in his last 4 games. The Bears are grooming a pair of rookies for bigger things in the future, but the veteran Paea is proving to be a solid presence inside.
LB Danny Lansanah, TB (7 solos, 3 asst, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 TD)
With Mason Foster still sitting out this week, it was Lansanah who took his spot in the team’s nickel package. He played 93 snaps in an overtime loss to the Saints and that obviously helped his numbers a bit. Lansanah took a long route to becoming a full-time starter, but he is already showing a knack for making big plays. He has two interceptions in the past three weeks and both were returned for touchdowns.
LB C.J. Mosley, BAL (8 solos, 7 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Mosley has played all but 2 snaps for the Ravens defense this year and may have taken the lead in the race for defensive rookie of the year after the game he had on Sunday. He was credited with 15 tackles while also coming up with an interception of Andrew Luck. He has been as good as advertised against both the run and pass, and looks like he could become a perennial top-10 fantasy linebacker.
LB Bjoern Werner, IND (4 solos, 2 asst, 2 sacks, 1 PD)
Werner was a first round pick of the Colts last year who hadn’t shown very much yet, but he likely had his best game as a pro on Sunday. He was credited with 6 tackles in the game while also picking up 2 sacks and a pass defensed. The Colts are desperate to get some consistent pass rush from their outside linebackers since they are missing Robert Mathis, so hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Werner.
LB James-Michael Johnson, KC (9 solos, 2 asst, 1 FF)
This game may wind up being the outlier, but it’s worth noting. James-Michael Johnson entered the starting lineup following the injury to Derrick Johnson, but he will tend to see a fluctuation in playing time depending on the matchup. Last week against the Patriots who were playing from behind all night, he only saw 16 snaps but this week in a close game with the 49ers, he played 51 of 71 snaps. So, it looks like his value is heavily matchup-dependent.
LB Jerrell Freeman, IND (5 solos, 2 asst)
The Colts welcomed Freeman back into their starting lineup this week after he missed the past three games with a hamstring injury. He was able to play most of the game and posted a very respectable 7 combined tackles in 50 snaps. Assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, Freeman should be a strong start next week against Arian Foster and the Texans.
S Michael Griffin, TEN (10 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Griffin has put up some big numbers at times in the past, but his production has trailed off a bit in recent years. This year looked like more of the same until this past week when he exploded for 14 tackles with a sack and interception. The Titans defense is seeing a lot of snaps every week, and now with Bernard Pollard out there should be an increase in tackle opportunities for Griffin as well.
S Kemal Ishmael, ATL (9 solos, 5 asst)
Ishmael took over for William Moore at strong safety this week and is already putting up much better numbers. He played all 71 snaps in the game and was credited with an impressive 14 combined tackles. With a weak front seven in front of him, there should be a heavy dose of tackle opportunities in most weeks.
CB Trumaine McBride, NYG (7 solos, 1 FF)
McBride is the nickel corner for the Giants, but he is playing a large number of snaps and putting up some nice numbers. With quality corners on the outside, opposing QBs may be more tempted to target McBride plus he’s in better position to play like an extra safety at times and contribute against the run or as a blitzer.
CB Perrish Cox, SF (3 solos, 1 INT, 2 PD)
Cox has emerged as a reliable starter for the 49ers at corner this year and he has posted some very remarkable numbers. His tackle numbers aren’t anything to get excited about, but he has been around the ball a lot with 10 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries already. He’s been a playmaker for the 49ers and now gets to face the Rams and their young inexperienced QB next week.
DOWNGRADES
DE Calais Campbell, ARI (2 solos, 1 INT, 1 PD)
Campbell has been one of the best defensive ends in the league for awhile now, but fantasy owners will be without his services for a few weeks. In a game that saw him intercept Peyton Manning, he was later injured on a controversial chop block. Initial reports said it was an MCL injury that will likely keep him out for 3 or 4 weeks, which is a tough blow for a Cardinals defense that is already missing some key players.
DE Chandler Jones, NE (0 tackles)
Jones was limited in practice all week with a shoulder injury but was able to start and play on Sunday night against the Bengals. However, he only managed to play 20 of the team’s 55 snaps and may have been rested given the fact the Patriots got out to an early lead. Next week’s game against the Bills is for the division lead so will be a good test to see if he can get back to form.
DE Michael Johnson, TB (0 tackles)
Johnson looked like he had arrived a week ago, but this week he wound up getting shutout completely despite playing 84 of 93 snaps in a shootout with the Saints. Brees is one of the tougher players to sack in the league, but it’s disappointing to come out with no tackles in an overtime game that saw almost 30 rush attempts from the Saints.
DE Jurrell Casey, TEN (0 tackles)
Casey posted 9.5 sacks in his breakout 2013 season, but he was playing DT in a 4-3 front so there were some concerns regarding how he well he would do as a 3-4 DE this year. The Titans signed him to a big contract extension, but it is becoming apparent that he is very unlikely to repeat his previous production. He was shutout this week and has just 7 solos, 4 assists, and 2 sacks through 5 games. He’ll try to turn things around next week against the Jaguars.
DT Aaron Donald, STL (1 solo)
Many thought Donald could contend for defensive rookie of the year while playing next to players like Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and Chris Long. Things haven’t quite worked out as expected in St. Louis so far, but he is playing better than his numbers so far indicate (7 solos, no sacks). The Rams are using a rotation at defensive tackle, but Donald saw about half as many snaps as the starters this week. It’s probably wise to patient with someone this talented, especially in dynasty leagues, but you may want to start looking for other options if you were counting on a big year from him.
LB DeMeco Ryans, PHI (7 solos, 1 asst)
Ryans has been reasonably productive this year, but he was forced out of this week’s game in the fourth quarter with a groin injury. With the Eagles already missing Mychal Kendricks from the lineup, they could be in some trouble if Ryans is unable to play next week.
LB Keith Rivers, BUF (0 tackles)
It’s difficult to know what the Bills are going to do with their linebackers from week to week, but this week it looked like Rivers could be in line for a big day as Nigel Bradham was out with an injury. Instead, the Bills only used Rivers in their base package and kept Brandon Spikes out in the nickel packages.
LB Nate Irving, DEN (0 tackles)
It was unclear exactly how the return of Danny Trevathan would impact the value of the other Broncos linebackers. Through one week, it looks like it was MLB Irving who could be hurt the most. He went from playing just about every snap for them the past two weeks to seeing just about a third this week. The Broncos got out to an early lead and appear to be more comfortable with Brandon Marshall in coverage. Trevathan and Von Miller look like the only two safe bets here for now.
LB Geno Hayes, JAX (0 tackles)
Hayes has been productive as a weakside linebacker for Jacksonville this year with 13 solos and 3 assists over his past two games. This week, however, he was replaced in the starting lineup by the rookie Telvin Smith Sr as the Jaguars used the nickel package as their base. Both linebackers wound up playing about half the game, but Smith is likely the long-term solution.
LB Quentin Coples, NYJ (0 tackles)
Coples was a 1st round pick in 2012 and posted 5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. Despite averaging over 50 snaps per game, he’s now been completely shut out in 3 straight games. With the way the Jets are struggling on offense, he may not get too many pass rush opportunities most weeks and he’s not doing enough against the run to be worth holding onto right now.
S Bernard Pollard, TEN (2 solos, 2 asst)
Pollard has been an elite fantasy safety for a long time, but apart from one big game this year he had not been producing up to his normal levels. Unfortunately, he suffered a ruptured Achilles’ injury on Sunday and will be lost for the season. He’s going to turn 30 years old this year so there has to be some concern that he may not be able to recover fully from an injury like this. George Wilson seems like the obvious choice to replace him and should likely be picked up this week.
S Calvin Pryor, NYJ (1 solo)
Pryor has shown some flashes early this year, but he is a rookie so he’s been inconsistent as expected. Through 5 games, he’s only been credited with 9 solo tackles and 9 assists, which probably isn’t enough to ever make it into a starting lineup. Still a long-term hold for dynasty owners given where he was drafted (18th overall), but it’s looking like he may not produce much this year.
S Tyrann Mathieu, ARI (0 tackles)
The Cardinals are making heavy use of 3 safeties already so they need to find ways to get Mathieu more involved. So far, however, he’s only seeing a limited number of snaps. He posted 6 solo stops in just 15 snaps against the 49ers, but was shut out this week against Denver. Mathieu may not be fully recovered from the ACL injury, or he may just be stuck behind some quality alternatives but looks like he may need to wait a bit for him to get back to his rookie form.
CB Corey Graham, BUF (0 tackles)
Early on this year, Graham looked like the Bills best cornerback. His playing time has dropped off dramatically the past few weeks, however, and his fantasy value has dropped as well. The Bills like Nickell Robey as their nickel corner and are using Leodis McKelvin over him on the outside. Graham provides nice depth, but will likely need an injury to one of the starters to re-emerge as a fantasy option.
CB Patrick Peterson, ARI (3 solos, 1 asst)
Peterson hasn’t been all that productive this year while playing in one of the best CB tandems in the league. The Cardinals pass rush isn’t as good as it’s been in prior years, which may be limiting his chances for big plays. Peterson also left the game early this week with an ankle injury, which could limit his effectiveness in the weeks ahead.